Aus military chief apologises to Zaetta over sex allegations

Australia's military chief has apologised to actress Tania Zaetta over false allegations of having sex with troops in war-torn Afghanistan during a concert tour last year.

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston met Zaetta on Tuesday to personally apologise for any distress suffered by her.

"Zaetta gave her time and talent to entertain our forces serving in Afghanistan and she deserves our praise and our thanks," Houston said.

He also invited her to entertain the troops again.

"She is welcome to again join the Forces Entertainment Tour in the near future," he was quoted as saying in the media reports in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Zaetta was named in a confidential briefing paper to the Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, as having slept with soldiers at a military base in Tarin Kowt, the capital of Oruzgan province.

The Defence department also reached an agreement late last year to compensate Zaetta for an "unacceptable breach of privacy" in relation to the false allegations levelled against her during an entertainment tour in April 2008.

The document said the allegations had been made by the singer Angry Anderson, a claim the rocker has denied.

Meanwhile, Zaetta thanked her family and friends for standing by her through a difficult time. She also thanked the "people from all over the world" who emailed her website.

"I read every single email, many of them with tears in my eyes," she said.

As for the invitation to go back for round two, the actress was considering it.

"I'm very pleased this is all over now and I look forward to the next opportunity to visit our Australian troops overseas," she said.